In Another Life
by ActualBunny
Summary: AU ish , what if August had found Emma before she went to Storybrooke? Lots of Emma/August plus Emma/August/Henry family bonding. *August is not Henry's father in this story*


Overall Summary: AU, what if August had found Emma before she went to Storybrooke? Lots of Emma/August plus Emma/August/Henry family bonding. *August is not Henry's father in this story*

In Another Life

_Chapter 1_

**Title:** In Another Life  
**Chapter One:** The First Change  
**Author:** An Actual Bunny  
**Story Rating:** T (might change to M)  
**Chapter Rating:** PG-13  
**Characters in this chapter:** Emma, August/Pinocchio, Isabella Booth, Henry.  
**Pairings****:** Emma/August with other pairings to be introduced  
**Summary:** AU, what if August had found Emma before she went to Storybrooke? Lots of Emma/August plus Emma/August/Henry family bonding. *August is not Henry's father in this story*  
**This Chapter:** Introduction to Emma, August and Isabella Booth's life with an interruption from Henry. Pilot episode with a twist  
**Warnings: **A bit of bad language but it's Emma and August. While they don't swear in from of their child, they swear in the flashbacks.  
**Disclaimer:**I own nothing.  
**Author's Notes:**I actually dreamt this one night (after thinking how August/Emma deserved a lot more love) and it's only getting written now because I only dreamt the end of the story and it took me ages to think of how to write this story. Also I'm trying to make Emma still be the same old kick ass Emma. In this story she's simply let August in but is still trying to keep everyone else out. All the episodes will play out in this story however I've changed a main story so some things will change. Please review, tell me if you like my idea or if the idea is just crazy.

Emma Booth was tired. She had been at work all day, she wasn't too fond of her job and she knew her husband wasn't either but it helped to pay the bills. When she was younger, she believed she would meet the perfect man, go off into the sunset and live happily ever after. But it seems like happily ever after isn't all it's cracked up to be.

If it was, her and August would not live in this apartment. She would not be a bails bondsman and they'd be able to give their daughter Isabella the best childhood possible.

_Emma was a regular at the bar, she didn't know why. I mean, this was where she had met the man who got her pregnant 6 years ago. Why would she come back? She had no idea. Something kept bringing her back here. The asshole, as she'd begun to call him, hadn't shown his face. What would she do if he did? She wouldn't mention that she gave their, no her, baby up for adoption._

_She was drawn out of her thoughts by a young man sitting in the bar stool next to her. "Two shots please," he called out to the bartender. She shut him out until one of the shot glasses was in front of her. She looked up at the stranger who simply smiled at her. _

She was pulled out of her thoughts by the giggles of their daughter, Isabella. She smiled at the sight, while her life wasn't perfect, she loved Isabella and August. She would never trade them for anything. August noticed her standing in the doorway,

"Well, princess, you going to join us or not?" Isabella immediately looked in the direction of her mother, having only noticed her.

"Mummy! Happy Birthday." she said running towards Emma who held her arms out. Isabella immediately snuggled into her. Yes, she wouldn't trade anything for this. And she'd do anything to protect them both even if August said he could handle it himself.

_Emma immediately pushed the drink back in his direction, the stranger laughed, _

"_Come on, you look like you need it, princess." Emma's head snapped in his direction. "Don't fucking tell me what I need and don't call me Princess." She snapped at him. He simply held his hands up in a mock surrender. She then downed the shot. _

_The next morning, she awoke in a throbbing headache. The last time she had woken up like this, the consequence had been a baby and jail. She immediately sat up, her clothes were still on but she didn't recognise the room she was in. She quickly grabbed her shoes and made her way quietly out of the room. _

"_Leaving so soon?" She turned around and saw the stranger from last night. _

"_You! But… what?" The stranger looked at her weirdly before understanding dawned on his face, _

"_Don't worry, nothing happened last night. I wouldn't take advantage of a drunk girl besides you wouldn't have made it anywhere all alone. I was the good person who brought you to safety." Relief flooded Emma's face. There was a small flutter in her stomach that she cast aside but when she looked back on this moment, Emma realised this was the moment that she began to slowly believe happy ever afters could exist._

She slowly left Isabella's room and plopped down on the couch. Immediately there was a glass of wine in her hand and August had begun to massage her shoulders. She sighed in relief as August whispered,

"Hard day at work?"

"Yeah, it was. I'm so tired now."

"How tired? Too tired for a birthday gift." he said as he began to kiss her neck. Emma moaned in appreciation,

"Not that tired," she whispered as she reached up to kiss him. A few seconds after she had done this, the doorbell went. August's grip on her tightened,

"Ignore it. They'll go away." Emma nodded, too flushed to really think straight. It wasn't until the doorbell went again that she was drawn out of her state. She began to move away as August groaned,

"I'll be back. I'm just going to see what they want." Straightening out her clothes, she went straight to the door. She opened it and saw a kid.

"Uh, Can I help you?" she said, staring at the kid, he seemed familiar.

"Are you Emma Swan?" he asked.

"Yeah, who are you?"

"My name's Henry, I'm your son." Her eyes widened slightly, not enough to give her surprise away but they widened a bit. Before she could react, the kid was in her apartment.

August walked into the room and looked at the boy questioningly.

"Woah! Hey kid," Emma said, coming back to her senses, "I don't have a son." She could see August's head snap in her direction before understanding dawned on his face. The kid however was not fazed. He simply looked at her,

"Ten years ago, did you give a baby up for adoption?" All she could do was look at him, "Thought so. That baby was me."

"Give me a minute," she said, as she walked into the bathroom, she vaguely heard Henry ask about some juice but then she shut him out. It wasn't until she was drawn into a hug that she realised August had followed her. "I'm okay," she said as she moved her way out of the hug.

"Are you sure?" he asked, "This would be pretty tough on anyone."

She smiled up at him, "I'm fine, August. I was just a bit stunned." She didn't let August reply as she made her way into the kitchen where Henry was waiting.

"You know we should probably get going." He said, with an air of confidence.

"Going where?" August asked behind her.

"I'm taking Emma home with me." He said it as if it was a fact that August could not reply. Emma, on the other hand, crossed the room.

"Okay, kid, I'm calling the cops."

"And I'll tell them you kidnapped me." Her hand froze over the phone,

"And they'll believe you because I'm your birth mother." She said in a defeated tone.

"Yup." He said, smiling at her.

"You're not going to do that."

"Try me." Emma admired the kid's bravery and not many kids would stand up to an adult like this.

"You're pretty good but here's the thing. There's not a lot I'm great at in life, but I have a few skills. One of them, I like to call a "superpower". I can tell when anyone is lying and you, kid, are."

"Wait." Henry said, as she went towards the phone again. "Please, don't call the cops. Please come home with me."

"Where's home?" August asked.

"Storybrooke, Maine." Emma snorted at the name,

"Storybrooke? Seriously?" Henry nodded slightly. "Alright then, let's get you back to Storybrooke."

"Wait," August said, "You aren't going alone. I don't trust the kid." That sounded a bit weird but even she had to admit there was something iffy with the kid.

"You can't come, you have to look after Isabella." August looked a bit stumped at that,

"She can come with us."

_The stranger, who had identified himself as August W. Booth, had become a regular visitor in Emma's life since they met over three months ago. He regularly visited to check up on Emma._

"_Why do you come round so often?" she asked him one night._

"_To check up on you."_

"_Why?"_

"_I don't know, I just feel like I have to." Emma had been confused at that sentence and he seemed confused too so she left it for now. _

The four found themselves on the road within half an hour. Henry sat up front with Emma driving while Isabella slept at the back with August watching over her. To say Henry had been surprised when he first saw Isabella was an understatement. But he quickly accepted her as his "sister" even though Emma had tried to explain that Isabella was not his "sister" because she was not his mother.

"I'm hungry." Henry said, shattering the silence that had overcome them. "Can we stop somewhere?"

Emma shook her head in irritation, "This is not a road trip; we're not stopping for snacks."

"Why not?"

"Quit complaining, kid. Remember I could've put you on a bus; I still could." She checked in her back mirror and saw August looking at her, he mouthed, "Be nice," She sighed once again in irritation.

"You know, I have a name? It's Henry." Emma chose to ignore this comment and changed the subject,

"What's that book?"

"I'm not sure you're ready." Emma could've burst out laughing at the look,

"Ready for some fairy tales? I've heard them all before."

"They're not fairy tales." Emma was a bit stunned at the determination on the boy's face, "They're true. Every story in this book actually happened."

Emma laughs a bit, "Of course they did, kid."

"Use your superpower. See if I'm lying." Emma didn't risk a glance at the boy and instead tried to reason with him,

"Just because you believe something doesn't make it true."

"That's exactly what makes it true." This kid was stubborn, Emma thought to herself, kind of like me. "You should know more than anyone."

"Why's that?"

"Because you're in this book." This time, Emma did risk a glance at the kid an almost laughed at the look on his face,

"Oh kid, you've got problems."

"Yup. And you're going to fix them." Emma groaned to herself as she looked in her mirror, she saw August fast asleep. He must've fallen asleep before the conversation otherwise he would've jumped in.

Emma stopped her car near the town hall, the movement awakened August in the back of the car. He smiled slightly at her as he fought off his tiredness.

"Okay, kid, how about an address?"

"Forty-four, not-telling-you street."

August groaned as he stepped out of the car with Emma and Henry,

"Look, it's been a long night and it's almost," He looked up at the clocktower, before his brows furrowed in confusion, "Eight-fifteen?" Emma whipped round to look at the clock, not believing what she saw. No way was it eight-fifteen. Henry came to stand by them,

"That clock hasn't moved in my whole life. Time's frozen here." August and Emma looked at each other before looking at Henry like he was crazy,

"Excuse me?" They both said. Henry nodded,

"The Evil Queen did it with her curse. She sent everyone from the Enchanted Forest here."

"Hang on." Emma said, trying to understand the situation, "The Evil Queen sent a bunch of fairytale characters here."

"Yeah. And now they're trapped." Henry stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Frozen in time, stuck in Storybrooke, Maine. That's what you're going with?"

Henry looked at her, "It's true!" he said a bit louder than normal.

August tried to defuse the situation, "Then why doesn't everybody just leave?"

"They can't," Henry whispered, "If they try, bad things happen." Emma was about to reply when a bark distracted them. They looked up to see a young man approaching them, his dog right beside him.

"Henry!" he said, joyfully, "What are you doing here? Is everything all right?"

Henry nodded as petted Pongo, "I'm fine, Archie."

Archie looked up, noticing Emma and August for the first time. August was frozen. He seemed to know that face, he couldn't place it but he knew it. But that was crazy, he'd never been to Storybrooke and, according to Henry, no one leaves Storybrooke, so they can't have met. He shook the feeling off.

"Who's this?" August answered him,

"Just some people trying to give him a ride home."

"She's my mom, Archie." Henry said, proudly, "And that's her husband, August and in the car is their daughter, Isabella, my sister!"

"Oh." Archie said, looking at them with understanding, "I see."  
Emma ignored the look, "You know where he lives?" Archie nodded slightly, still trying to process the news,

"Oh. Yeah, sure, just uh, right up on Misslin Street; the Mayor's house is the biggest one on the block." August finally took his eyes off Archie and looked at Henry,

"You're the mayor's kid?" Henry nodded, looking a bit embarrassed.

"Hey," Archie said, "Where were you today, Henry? Because you missed our session." Emma and August looked at each other, understanding on their faces.

"Oh. I forgot to tell you, I went on a field trip." Emma had to give it to the kid, he knew how to get himself out of a bad situation. Archie, however, wasn't fooled and he crouched down to Henry's level.

"Henry; what'd I tell you about lying? Giving in to one's dark side never accomplishes anything." Emma raised an eyebrow,

"O-kay! Well, I really should be getting home." Archie nodded as he stood up,

"Yeah sure. Well listen- have a good night, and uh, you be good Henry." He said, before walking off.

August looked after him, "So that's your shrink."

Henry looked at him, a bit offended, "I'm not crazy."

"Didn't say that." August said as he put his hands up to a mock salute, something that reminded Emma of when they first met. She stifled a laugh, "Just—he doesn't seem cursed to me. Maybe he's just trying to help you."

"He's the one who needs help. Because he doesn't know." Boy, Emma thought, this kid was persistent.

"That he's a fairytale character?" August questioned.

"None of them do, they don't remember who they are."

"Convenient. All right, I'll play." He said, as the three made their way back to the car. "Who's he supposed to be?"

"Jiminy Cricket!" Henry said, excitedly, the name sent a shiver down August's spine. He felt as if the name should bring back something. Something that was trying to force itself back into August's memory. Emma, thankfully, picked up the conversation for him,

"Right. They lying thing. Thought your nose grew a little bit."

"I'm not Pinocchio!" Henry said. _But you are,_ something said in the back of August's mind. He shook the thought away. He was just tired, that was it. His tiredness was making him delusional.

"'Course you're not," he heard Emma say, "'Cause that would be ridiculous."

_This wasn't the first time August felt like he had forgotten something important. The reason he first approached Emma in the bar was because he felt like he had seen her before. Like she was something important that he shouldn't have forgotten. Like his other thoughts like this, he pushed those thoughts to the back of his head. He labelled them as simply being attracted to Emma and being drunk._

Henry groaned as they led him up the front door, "Please don't take me back there."

"I have to." Emma said, as she passed Isabella over to August. The little girl was now awake and was looking at her surroundings curiously. "I'm sure your parents are worried sick about you."

"I don't have parents. I just have a mom, and she's—evil."

"Evil, that's a bit extreme, isn't it?" Emma questioned as she knocked on the door.

"She is. She doesn't love me; she only pretends to."

"Kid, I'm sure that's not true." She was about to knock again when the door opened to reveal a woman and a man in a police uniform. Looks like the mom was worried, Emma thought.

"Henry? Oh Henry!" The woman pulled Henry in for a hug, "Are you okay? Where have you been? What happened?" Henry stared at his mom,

"I found my real mom!" he said, before stomping off into the house. The woman stared after Henry before turning to Emma,

"You're Henry's birth mother?" Emma waved, feeling a bit awkward,

"Hi." The police man shuffled a bit in the background,

"I'll just go check the lad, make sure he's okay." He said, before promptly leaving.

"How would you like a glass of the best apple cider you've ever tasted?"

"Got anything stronger?"

_When August had begun to see Emma regularly, he couldn't answer the constant question in his mind. Why? He simply had to see her. His mind wouldn't relax until he had made sure she was okay. In fact, he felt as it was his duty to make sure she was all right. That was an incredibly strange feeling._

_August put it down to attraction again. There was no denying that he was attracted to Emma, he had been from the first glance but there was something about this girl. Something he was couldn't put his finger on but was desperate to find out. His mind was going crazy, his thoughts changing. He wanted it all to stop. He wanted everything to make sense._

"How did he find me?" Emma asked, hoping to make the situation a little less awkward. She accepted the glass however August refused still holding on tightly to Isabella.

"No idea." The woman replied, "When I adopted him, he was only three weeks old. Records were sealed, I was told the birth mother didn't want to have any contact."

"You were told right."

"And the father?" she asked, looking over to August who was entertaining Isabella.

"Is out of the picture," Emma replied, seeing her glance. Regina looked at her with a raised eyebrow,

"Do I need to be worried about him?"

"Nope, he doesn't even know."

"Do I need to be worried about you, Miss Swan?"

"Absolutely not." Just then the Sheriff entered, the woman was distracted and Emma used the opportunity to approach Isabella. "How is she?"

"Fine," August replied, "A bit confused as to where we are but she seems fine."

"Sorry about all this."

"Don't apologise. It will all be over soon and we can go back home right?" Emma nodded and was about to reply when Regina spoke,

"I'm sorry he dragged you out of your lives. I really don't know what's gotten into him."

"Rough time. Happens."

"You have to understand, ever since I became mayor, balancing things have been tricky. You have a job, I assume?" Emma looked at August who had a small smirk on his face,

"Uh, I keep busy, yeah."

"And you have a family, it's easier for you. Your second job is shared out between you and your husband. However I am a single mom so it's just me doing that second job. So I push forward. Am I strict? I suppose. But I do it for his own good. I want Henry to excel in life. I don't think that makes me evil, do you?" Emma was at loss for words so August stepped in,

"I'm sure he's just saying that because of the fairytale thing." Regina looked confused,

"What fairytale thing?"

"You know his book," August said, "How he thinks everyone's a cartoon character from it. Like his shrink is Jiminy Cricket."

"I'm sorry, I really have no idea what you're talking about." Emma sensed something strange as if Regina was hiding something,

"You know what." Emma said, "It's none of our business, he's your kid. And we really should be heading back." Regina nods at them. Emma leads August and Isabella to the car. She begins to drive away.

"I did not expect this to happen when I woke up today," August said at the back.

"What did you expect?" Emma asked,

"I expected you to come home and then I'd spend the night giving you your birthday present. But don't worry, it won't be that late when we get home." Emma laughed to herself when she noticed Henry's book on the car seat. Sneaky bastard, she thought.

"Emma, look out!" She looked up to see a wolf and quickly swerved. Just before they crashed, Emma And August both went straight to Isabella and then everything went black.

Emma awoke to fine August sitting next to her, she could tell that he had just woken up to. She looked around the find herself in a cell, with a man in the neighbouring cell.

"What are you looking at, sister?" he barked at her.

"Hey Leroy—manners! We have a guest!" August and Emma both looked up to see another man outside their cell. August froze a bit, that face. It seemed important, as if he shouldn't forget it. The man looked at him curiously, probably wondering why this stranger was staring at him before August shook himself out of those thoughts. They seemed to be coming back more in this town.

"So you are, eh," the man continued, "Henry's mother. How lovely for him to have you back in his life."

"Actually," Emma said, "I was just dropping him off."

"Don't blame yeh." The man next to them said, "They're all brats; who needs 'em."

"Well I'd give anything for one. My wife and I, we tried for many years, but, uh it was not meant to be."

"Well cry me a river." Before Emma or August could reply, the Sheriff entered, Isabella in hand.

"Isabella!" they both said, as the young girl approached them. They were both relived to see she was not injured. The little girl looked at the curiously,

"Mummy, Daddy. Why are you behind these bars?" Emma laughed as August said,

"We don't know sweetie."

"But—but you'll be out soon?" They nodded as Sheriff Graham approached them having just let Leroy out. Emma looked at him,

"Seriously?"

"Regina's drinks; a little stronger than we thought."

"I wasn't drunk," she said and then August cut in with,

"There was a wolf, standing in the middle of the road." Sheriff Graham laughed to himself,

"A wolf, right." They then heard Regina yell something about Henry before she entered and spotted the young family,  
"What are they doing here?" she asked to the Sheriff before turning to Emma, "Do you know where he is?"

"Lady, I haven't seen him since I dropped him at your house and I have a pretty good alibi." Regina glared at her slightly,

"Yeah well, he wasn't in his room this morning."

"You try his friends?" August asked.

"He doesn't have any. Kind of a loner." August scoffed,

"Every kid has friends. Did you check his computer? If he was close to someone he'd be emailing them." Regina looked at him curiously,

"And you know this how?" Emma cut in,

"Finding people's what I do. You know what: you guys let us out and I'll help you find him." Regina seemed torn for a minute but soon they were out of the prison cell and in Henry's room.

"Smart kid. Cleared his inbox." Emma said as she fiddled with his computer, "I'm smart too, have a little hard disk recovery utility I like to use." Isabella was playing with August and one of Henry's planes as Emma spared a glance over. Sheriff Graham commented,

"I'm a bit more, old-fashioned, in my techniques. Pounding the pavement, knocking on doors, that sort of thing."

"You're on salary; I get paid for delivery. Pounding the pavement is not a luxury that I get. Ah," she said as she pulled up a receipt, "There's a receipt for a website, - it's expensive." She then looked at Regina, "He has a credit card?"

"He's ten." Emma turned her eyes back to the computer screen,

"Well he used one. Here we go. Mary Margaret Blanchard, who's Mary Margaret Blanchard?"

"Henry's teacher."

As the five of them made their way to the school, Emma walked towards the back of the group with August and Isabella who had refused to let go of the toy plane.

"You know," August said, "I thought we'd be in and out of Storybrooke." He needed to get out, this place was creeping him out, too many of those weird thoughts came up here. Emma gave him a quick peck on the cheek,

"We'll be out of here soon, I promise," They entered the classroom and saw a young woman, Regina wasted no time in approaching her,

"Miss Mills," Mary said, "What are you doing here?"

"Where's my son?"

"Henry, I assumed he was home with you." It was here that Mary noticed Emma, August and Isabella.

"You think I'd be here if he was? Did you give him your credit card so that he could find her?"

"I'm sorry," Mary said, in Emma's direction, "Who are you?" Emma was at loss for words so Regina answered for her,

"The woman who gave him up for adoption."

"You don't know anything about this do you?" Emma asked.

"No unfortunately not," Mary replied as she searched through her purse for her credit card, it was missing. "Clever boy. I should never have given him that book."

"What in the hell is this book I keep hearing about?" Mary looked at Regina,

"Just some old stories I gave him. As you should well know, Henry is a special boy: so smart, so creative and as you might be aware, lonely. He needed it."

"What he needs is a dose of reality. This is a waste of time. Have a nice trip back to Boston." Regina left the room but not before knocking over a stack of books. August immediately went to pick them up as Isabella followed him. Emma approached Mary,

"Sorry to bother you."

"No it's—it's okay. I figured this was partially my fault."

"How's they book supposed to help?"

"What do you think stories are for? These stories? Classics? There's a reason we all know them. They're a reason we all know them. They're a way for us to deal with our world. A world that doesn't always make sense. See, Henry hasn't had the easiest life."

"Yeah," August said as he approached the paid, "she's kind of a hard-ass."

"No, it's more than her. He's like any adopted child. He wrestle with that most basic question they all inevitably face: why would anyone give me away?" Emma heard August's quick intake on breath and felt his concerned glance, however she did not look over at him, "I am so sorry. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean in any way to judge you…" Emma cut in,

"It's okay."

"Look, I gave the book to him because I wanted Henry to have the most important thing anyone can have. Hope. Believing in even the possibility of a happy ending is a very powerful thing." August watched Mary carefully,

"You know where he is, don't you?"

"You might want to check his castle."

Emma sat next to Henry as August sat down in front of the pair, both his and Emma's eyes ensuring Isabella was okay while playing in the 'castle'.

"You left this in the car." Emma said, handing the book back, "Still haven't moved." Henry looked at her,

"I was hoping when I brought you back, things would change here. That the final battle would begin."

"I'm not fighting any battles, kid."

"Yes you are." Emma rolled her eyes, "It's your destiny. You're going to bring back the happy endings."

"Can you cut it with the book crap?"

"You don't have to be hostile. I know you like me, I can tell. You're just pushing me away because I make you feel guilty. It's okay: I know why you gave me away. You wanted to give me my best chance." Emma paused,

"How do you know that?

"It's the same reason Snow White gave you away."

"Listen to me, kid. I'm not in any book. I'm a real person and I'm no saviour. You were right about one thing though. I wanted you to have your best chance. But it's not with me. Come on, let's go."

"Please don't take me back there! Just stay with me for one week, that's all I ask! One week, and you'll see that I'm not crazy."

"I have to get you back to your mom."

"You don't know what it's like with her. My life sucks!" Emma turned sharply,

"Oh, you wanna know what sucking is? Being left abandoned on the side of a freeway; my parents didn't even bother to drop me off at a hospital! I ended up in the foster system and I had a family until I was three but then they had their own kid so they sent me back- Look. Your mom is trying her best, I know it's hard. It's hard being an adopted child, it's hard being a mother. At least she wants you." August had sensed her distress and looked over from where he was with Isabella, Emma smiled slightly before mouthing "I'm okay," and began to approach them.

"Your parents didn't leave you on the side of the freeway; that's just where you came through!" Emma turned abruptly,

"What?"

"The wardrobe. When you went through the wardrobe you appeared on the side of the street. Your parents were just trying to save you from the curse." Emma sighed in irritation,

"Sure they were, come on Henry."

"Thank you for bringing him home."

"No problem."

"He seemed to have taken quite a shine to you." Emaa laughed slightly to herself at Regina's look, she explained,

"It seems crazy. Yesterday was my birthday and I was thinking that I should check up on him. Make sure he was okay, I know what it's like being in the care system and then he showed up at my door."

"I hope there's no misunderstanding here."

"I'm sorry?"

"Don't mistake all of this as invitation back into his life." Emma froze, "Mrs Booth, you made a decision ten years ago. And in the last decade while you've been having a new family and doing god knows what, I've changed every diaper, soothed every fever, endured every tantrum. You may have given birth to him, but he's my son." It was now that she wished she hadn't left August outside with Isabella, she needed him to comfort her.

"I was just-"

"No. You don't get to speak, you don't get to do anything. You gave up that right when you tossed him away. Do you know what a closed adoption is? It's what you asked for. You have no legal right to Henry, and you're going to be held to that. So I suggest you get in your car, and you live this town. Because if you don't, I will destroy you if it is the last thing I do. Goodbye, Miss Swan." Emma quickly stopped Regina from leaving,

"Do you love him?"

"Excuse me?"

"Henry. Do you love him?"

"Of course I love him." Emma, however, knew something was wrong and she was going to find out what.

"Wait," August said as he followed her to Granny's, "We're staying?" Emma nodded,

"Only for a short while, my business here isn't complete."

"We can't stay here. I mean, we have lives back home, we have jobs and we can't uproot Isabella." Emma looked at their daughter sleeping peacefully in August's arms, her hand still clutching the toy plane she had taken from Henry's room.

"It's only for a while, we'll say it's a vacation." She said, trying to convince herself this was a good idea as she stopped in front of the desk.

"Excuse me? We'd like a room."

"Really?" The lady said, Emma nodded and the lady began to tell her about types of room.

"Square is fine."

"Now, What's the name?"

"Emma, August and Isabella Booth."

"Emma." They turned to see a man behind them, Emma and August looked at each other. They didn't hear the door open, "What a lovely name."

"Thanks." After he had left, Emma turned to the lady,

"Who's that?"

"Mr. Gold. He owns the place."

"The inn?" August asked,

"No. The town. So, how long will you be with us?"

"A week," August replied, "Just a week."

"Welcome to Storybrooke."

_August soon moved into Emma's apartment, by accident. He had just began to leave things at her place. He didn't have a place to stay, he moved around so much, he lived out of suitcases. Emma began to pick things up, noticing he was leaving clothes and shoes around the house. She shook her head slightly, they were both crazy._

As Emma and August tucked Isabella in, the clock changed from 8:15 to 8:16 and the final battle had begun.


End file.
